Waymo Robotaxis Expand to Washington D.C. with Driverless Rides Planned for Next Year

Waymo's robotaxis are now mapping Washington D.C. with safety drivers, following a trial run last year. Initial service areas include Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, and Penn Quarter. Waymo aims to offer fully driverless rides via its Waymo One app next year, pending regulatory approval. Washington and Miami may join Phoenix, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Austin, Texas, as Waymo robotaxi markets. A partnership with Uber will also bring robotaxis to Atlanta this year. Waymo reports over 4 million driverless rides to date, with 200,000 paid trips weekly. Waymo, a Google project since 2009 and an Alphabet Inc. company since 2016, is expanding as Amazon and Tesla prepare to launch their own services.